Carmen Maura

Carmen Maura makes the family scenes in Volver (2006) feel as though the women have known one another long before the film began. Her Irene has an unforced familiarity that matters in a melodrama with so much family trouble to accommodate. She helps us believe that these women would make time for one another even if nobody were watching. That ease lets us attend to the whole family, rather than wait for her next big moment.

The early partnership with Pedro Almodóvar runs from Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom (1980) to Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988). Between them, the harried housewife Gloria in What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984) established her as a major lead for him. That is a useful role through which to understand her appeal: fatigue and practical responsibilities give the comedy something recognisable to work on. Her career beyond Almodóvar includes the dark comedy Common Wealth (2000) and work with Álex de la Iglesia and Carlos Saura.

Volver brought her back together with Almodóvar, and it gives us the clearest reason to value that partnership. He allows the ensemble time to establish how the women behave together, so their willingness to help feels habitual. Alongside Maura, Lola Dueñas lets Sole's uncertainty complicate the comedy, while Blanca Portillo makes Agustina's troubles worth attending to in their own right. We were moved by the women's readiness to help, because Maura and her colleagues make it seem like something they have done before.

There is a reservation: Volver sometimes makes forgiveness too comfortable. The warmth of Maura's performance makes that easier to accept, though we need not agree with every reassurance the film offers. She and Dueñas also prevent it becoming a display built around Penélope Cruz, a useful reminder that an actor's generosity can be part of the pleasure. Start with Volver, and allow the other women to hold your attention too.